Silo.



.I. H. 'SCHLAFLY.

SILO.

APPLICATION FILED MAYIT, 1913.

Patented May 14, 1918.

a TATES TENT OFFICE.

JULIUS E. S GHLAILY, OF CANTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOI; TO THE OANTON'GULVEBT & SIL

" a citizen of the United States, residing comm, or cmon, OHIO, A

CORPORATION OF OHIO.

SILO.

Application filed May .17, 1913. Serial No. 768,239.

To all wi w m it may cancer-m,-

Be it known that I, JULIUSH. SGHLAFLY, at Ganton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio have invented anew and useful Silo, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements'in' sheet metal structures, and while applicable to structures forvarious purposes, has special reference to the construction of-silos and the like.

The objects of the inventiodare, to generally improve structures of the character. mentioned, to provide a silo or the like which. will be strong and durable andthoroughlyairand water tight and thus adapted to thoroughly preserve and retain its'contents, and to provide a lmock-down or sectional construction wherein the various parts or sections are so constructed as to be interchangeable, thus making the erection. of the device an easy matter in that 'said' sections need not be put together in any one, prede-' fterm-ined order or arrangement and the means of'connection for the various sections being simple and readilj understood by un skilled workmen.

Additional objects are the provision of air and-water tight joints between the'various sections, the strengthening of the edges of the sections so as to brace the joints and the protection of the joints by integral protecting flanges.

Various other features of the construction areof much importanceand other objects than the above twill be apparent to those skilled in the art.

. The best mode in which I have contem-' plated carrying out my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, although it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms.

In the drawings'Figure 1' is a side elevation of a silo constructed in'accordance with duce the size of the figure. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view, w1th a portion my invention. -Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of'the sections used in constructing the 'silo, a portion being broken away to-re- Specification of Letters Patent.

-desired thickness of the floor2. The fountween the flangeslO" and 12 pacln'ng 17 of ratentea ay 14, 1918].

foundation is' preferabl formed b a? in the earth 3 all annula r trench foi' thfiii 4 1 and digging away the earth within the inner line of said trench to the point 4 be low the ground level 5 to accommodate the dation is then preferably-constructed by pourlng plastic concrete into the exca'vation thus made-until the point 6' is reached, then setting into the trench on top ofthe concrete thus placed the first or bottom annular tier 3 Z of connectedmetallic sections. More concrete is then added until the ground line 5 is .reached, and is preferably somewhat banked up on the outer side of the bottom tier. The top surface of the floor'2, around the outer edge, should be substantially on a level with the. ground line 5, and is preferably somewhat declined from said outer edge to the center.

Attention is now directed to.the construction of the metallic sections as particularly illustrated in-Figs. 2 and 3'. Each section 8 is substantially rectangular and is preferably arranged with its longer dimension ex-, tending horizontally. Each section iscurved in accordance with 'the desired circumferi ence of the siloto'be constructed and two side edge, are provided with the plain outturnedintegral flanges 9 and 10 respectively. y The opposite or bottom and otherside edge are provided with the out-turned flanges 11 and 12 *respectively, said flanges 11 and 12 being provided with integral, aum'liary, pro tecting flanges 13 and; 14 respectively, saidflanges 13 and 14 extending .at right-angles to the flanges 11 and 12 and lying in planes adjacent edges, preferably the top and one 85 parallel with the body portion of the section 8. The flanges 9, 10,11 and 12 are all provided with bolteapertures 15 to-receiVe bolts.

16 for fastening the sections to ether.

the flange 12 is brought face to face yvith the flange 10 of an adjacent secti0n,the flange 14, formed integrally with the flange 12, extending over the edge of the flange 10 and thus protecting and covering the joint. Be- 103 any well lmown material inay be arranged before drawing up'the bolts 16,said packing serving to' produce an air tight joint and being protected and held in place by the protecting flange 14. v When each tier has been connected and ar- By reference to Fig. 3 it will e seen that ranged in place the top plain flange of the various sections constituting the tier will form an annular outwardly extending flange 1 upon which the bottom flanges 11 of the sections ofthe superjacent tier are adapted to rest. Here again packing 17 may be employed' to form a tight joint and bolts 16 may be used to fasten the flanges together.

' The protecting flanges 13 of the various sections extending over the outer edges of the packing 17 and the flanges 9 and as will be especially noted by reference to Fig. 3 r0- duce a dependent water drip adap to carry any water over'and beyond the joint.

One important feature of the construction is'the strengthening and bracing effect produced by the flanges 13 andl l. By reference to Fig. 3 it will be noted that when the outstanding flanges 9 and 11 and 10 and 12 have been connected to form thejhorizontal and vertical joints described "said flanges serve to thoroughly brace and strengthen I the wall of the silo so long as said flanges are maintained in true, outstanding position. The flanges 13 and 14 act as braces for the said outstanding joint flanges, hold theouter edges of said flanges in true alinement and very thoroughlybrace them.

e against bending, as well as against relative movement which would not only weaken the structure, but would destroy the effectiveness of the packing 17.

The flanges 11 and 13 of the bottom tier, being embedded in the concrete foundation, provide a thoroughly solid andaeifective anchor. The first tier of sections is preferably continuous, but the second tier is provided with a door, the third tier is continuous and the fourth tier provided with a door, and in similar manner for the entire height of the silo, alternate tiers being continuous and alternate tiers provided with doors. Special attention is now directed to the doorway and door construction. In formthe-portion 19 and the body ofvthe section 8.

The door 25 extends from the side piece 22 on one side of the door frame .to the similar side piece on the other side and is provided with the integral edge flanges 26 The door is formed;

and return flanges 27. of a curvature to correspond with the curva:

ture of the sections 8 and closes against the 1 stop flanges 23, the flanges 26 abutting face to face with the side pieces 22 in the closed position.

' Connected to each hinge-loop 24 by means of a barrel portion 28, is a combined hinge,

ladder and hasp bar 29 which is'"connected to the door 25 by bolts 30.. It will be noted that said bar 29 snugly over-lies the por- 1 tions 20 .and 21 of the side piece tov which it is hingedly attached, extends tosth'e edge of the return flange 27 on the hinged side of the door, where it turns abruptly toward the body of the door 25 to which the bolts 30 connect it. Beyond said bolts said bar 29 turns abruptly outwardly to form the step portion 31 spacedfrom the body of the door and following in parallel relation to said door to the hasp side, where it turns abruptly, is again connected to the body of the door by bolts 30, then extends outwardly beyond the return flanges 27, where it is again bent into parallel relation to the body of the silo and over-lies said flange 27 and the portion 21 of the door" frame. In the hasp portion of the bar 29 which extends beyondv the edge flange 26 is a transverse aperture 32, and a bolt 33 connected to the portion 21 of the side piece is adapted to extend through the aperture 32 when the door is in the closed position, a wing nut 34 being employedto clamp the projecting hasp portion to the portion 21. 1

Each door is preferably provided with two of the bars 29, the tiers intermediate the doors being provided with but a single step 31 each. In Fig. 1 it will'be noted how the various steps produce a ladder for the purpose of climbing up to the a propr'iate door it v to enter the silo when desire The side walls of the silo having been built to the desired height by arranging one tier of sections upon another, the roof is next attached. Said roof is preferably composed of a plurality of sectoral sections 35.

ach of said sections is provided at its lat eral edges with up-turned joint flanges 36* having integral, auxiliary attaching flanges 37 extending 'in inclined position down and back toward the body of the section, preferably at an angle of about 45. 3

For connecting the various sectoral roof sections connecting strips 38 are provided. Said strips are formed of sheet metal and each strip is equal'in length to the length of the flanges 36 of the various sections. The bodyportion of each strip isbent along a longitudinal line with the body portions on the two'sides of said line forming a sub? stantially 90 angle with each other, and

therefore adapted to snugly over-lie the attaching flanges 37 of-adjacent roof sections in their abutting position. Formed integrally with the body of the strip 38 the marginal, return holding flanges 39 are prothe uppermost tier of sections 8 is bent vided, which are adapted to extend around the free edges of the flanges 37 and to extend up on the under-side of said flanges to hold the same firmly in position. In connecting the roof sections the strips 38 are slidably connected to the attaching flanges of adjacent roof sections, being preferably connected by sliding movement from the outer, lower ends of said roof sections toward the upper inner ends thereof.

The angular relation of the lateral edges of the roof sections is such as to produce a when all of the connected together, and connecting said-sections silo the top flanges 9 of frusto-conical shaped roof sections have been for the purpose of to the walls of the slightly down at its outer edge, throwing said flange into inclined positlon, so as to correspond with the pitch of the roof. Bolts 40 are then employed to fasten the flange to the roof sections.

It will be understood that the joint flanges 36 serve to stiffen the roof, and it should be noted that said roof is' self-supporting, no frame work in addition to the sectoral sections and connecting strips being necessary.

The sections 35'do not entirely meet in the center, leaving a ventilating opening at 41 and if desired a ventilator 42 of any well known construction may be connected to the roof to shelter said opening 41 while permitting ventilation therethrough.

While the foregoing description presents the best mode in which I have contemplated building silos of the character described, it

should, of course, be understood that numerous changes in design, and details of construction may be made as experiencesuggests or circumstances may require without departing from the spirit ofthe invention, within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim 1. A silo formedof a plurality of sheet metal sections, provided with curved body portions and out-turned integral abutting margins arranged to form out-standing horizontal and vertical seams and means for fastening the abutting margins of each seam together, the upper out-turned margin of each horizontal seam and one of the outturned margins of each vertical seam provided with an integral auxiliary portion disposed parallel to the adjacent body portion of the section, extending over the edge of the other out-turned margin of the seam, and adapted to protect, stiflen and brace the same, and said upper out-turned margin of each horizontal sea-m being sufliciently wider than the out-turned margins of said vertical seams to permit the horizontally disposed auxiliary portion thereon to overhang the upper ends of the sub-jacent vertical Seams including the integral auxiliary portions thereo I 2. A silo formed of rectangular sheet metal sections arranged in annular tiers, the sections in each tier provided at their vertical edges with integral out-standing, abutting, connected flanges forming vertical joints, and said sections also provided at their horizontal edges with integral, out-' standing flanges; the out-standing flanges on the lower horizontal edges being provided with auxiliary, de ending, portions, said depending portions being continuous in each tier and overhanging the outermost edges of the flanges forming said vertical joints.

3.-A silo formed of a plurality of sheet metal sections arranged in annular tiers, the sections forming each tier being united by tegral, out-standing. flanges forming vermetal sections arranged in tiers and connected together by integral, out-standing marginal flanges forming vertical and horizontal joints, the upper flange of each horizontal joint being provided with an integral depending portion overhanging and protecting the lower flange of said joint and the fl of the vertical joints in the subjacent tier as well.

5. A silo section formed of sheet metal and comprising a rec ar body portion and integral marginal on the four edges of the same, ed to be disposed vertically and two horizontally, one of the vertical flanges providedwith an integral auxiliary portion extending in a plane parallel to said body portion and the lower horizontal flange being wider than the other marginal flanges and provided with an integral auxiliary portion depending in a plane portion, whereby when the pluralityof such sections are connected together with their,

PERRY VAN HORNE, WILLIAM H. MILLER.

two of said edges adapt parallel to said body 

